The Ascendant is defined as the intersecting point between the Ecliptic ( Kranti Vritta ) & the Celestial Horizon ( Kshitija ). In Sanskrit it is known as Udaya Lagna. The Ecliptic is the path of the earth round the Sun. The origin of the Celestial Horizon is the Northern Horizon. The Original Point of the Ecliptic is 0 degrees Aries according to Western Astrology and is 0 degrees Beta Arietis ( Ashwini ) according to Vedic Astrology.

The Ascendant is the most important point in one's horoscope. It represents the Wheel of Destiny. The Ascending Degree is known as the Lagna Bindu and all calculations are based on it. 180 degrees from it is known as the Descendant ( Astha Lagna ).

By Ascendant is meant the Eastern Celestial Horizon. The Descendant is the Western Celestial Horizon.

In Natal Astrology, only the Ascendant and the Lunar Ascendant figure largely. In Horary Astrology, along with the Ascendant and the Lunar Ascendant, three more Ascendants come into the picture. They are Base Ascendant ( Aroodha ), Veedhi and Chatra.

In Horary Astrology, all computations are based on the Base Ascendant ( Aroodha ), similar to the calculations based on the Ascendant in Natal. The curse of reverential, learned people is denoted by Aroodha, the anger of the populace is represented by the Ascendant, trouble from enemies is indicated by the Lunar Ascendant & the anger of deities is indicated by Chatra. These four Ascendants form the pillar of Horary Astrology.

The Ascendant is computed using the formula:

Tan Q = ( cos w Sin R + Sin w Tan A ) / Cos R

where Q = Ascendant, w = maximum declination of the Sun, R = Right Ascension of the Meridian Cusp & A = latitude of the place

Here we give the 12 Ascendants and their characteristics

Ascendant - Aries ( Mesha )

Aries rising bestows the native with certain martian qualities. Courage- sensitive to other's feelings - shorttempered & proud - interested in legal & logical aspects - lover of scientific thinking - enjoy travel & adventure -hates relatives - body of medium size - long face & neck eyesight sharp scar on the head or temples round eyes legs, weak, ambitious, enterprising & good planning ability. Since Mars is the Ascendant lord they may be under the influence of their partner & they have a weakness for the opposite sex. Mars also endows them with good administrative ability. This ability is excellent in business & politics. Have good observational ability. They dislike being guided by others as they maintain an aggressive independent attitude. They are down to earth, practical. They are natural fighters who fight for justice. Mars endows them with rare fortitude & will to survive in a competitive world.

Ascendant - Taurus ( Vrishabha )

Taurus rising bestows the qualities of ambition, tolerance & patience. They are obstinate and proud. Affectionate - loving, will ing to sacrifice and interested in competitive games. They will have beautiful faces and they are likely to be short. They are sometimes unreasonable. They are high-principled & they practice what they preach. They are mentally strong & their physical stamina is excellent. They love pleasure and like music. Scorpio is the Sign of the Mystic, the Investigator. They are endowed with personal magnetism. They are imperial in outlook & they feel that they are born to exercise authority. They will have more daughters than sons and they may not be very happy as regards happiness from children. As they are likely to contract nervous complaints from fiftieth year, it will be better for them to consult a medical specialist. They have to learn to incorporate tolerance for the adversary.

Ascendant - Gemini ( Midhuna )

Gemini ascending bestows intellectuality & intelligence. Their minds may be wavering & they will have literary talent. They are quick witted, restless & inconstant. They may suffer from nervous breakdowns & they are likely to be tall and straight. They may become experts in the mechanical sciences as Mercury represents computing. They will have a depression near the chin & their eyes will be attractive. They have conversational & literary abilities. They should be careful while moving with the opposite sex. They are interested in original, artistic works of any kind. They are versatile by nature & they have intellectual ability. They are enterprising by nature & they have analytical minds.

Ascendant - Cancer ( Kataka )

Cancer rising gives intuition, sympathy and appreciation of the subtle things of life. Cancer represents the heart of the Cosmic Man. Cancerians are tied and tuned to the Cosmic world. Most of the saints & mystics are born in this sign. Its dispositor is the Moon & the exaltation dispositor is the wisdom planet, Jupiter. They love the mundane pleasures of life, particularly home & children. They may be disappointed in love as their love is not reciprocated. They are inconstant & fickleminded as they are ruled by the Moon. Their wealth will be subject to waxing and waning like the Moon. They love the divine sciences, particulary the science & the wisdom of the heavens. ( Astronomy & Astrology ) They are nervous and restless. At the same time a high degree of adaptability have been bestowed by this sign. They can adapt to any situation. They are interested in Wisdom and the divine. The occult sciences attract them and they become diviners or mystics.

Ascendant - Leo ( Simha )

Leo rising gives love of Nature & an overactive & leonine temparament. They are likely to be ambitious and cheerful. They have a liking for Literature & Art. Their ambitions may not be fulfilled. They are proud and strong & the qualities of beauty, nobility & spirituality will be theirs. They have tremendous will power and determination and the ability to face upto heavy odds. Physically powerful with broad shoulders, they are endowed with personal magnetism. They have to incorporate patience & perseverance as they are short tempered by nature. They are also advised to incorporate tolerance for the adversary. They become the leaders of their family and care much for their mother's interest. They are of the forgiving type & they do not nurse any illfeeling towards anyone. There is a possibility that they may be misunderstood by superiors and they are likely to have nervous complaints. They are orthodox and highprincipled.

Ascendant - Virgo ( Kanni )

Virgo rising gives scholarly qualities and they are lovers of learning. They love music and the arts. Their IQ level is above the ordinary. They are diplomatic & shrewd and possess business insight. They are emotional and get carried away by sentiments. They are interested in modern equipments. They love Mathematics & the Wisdom of the Heavens. They are pleasant talkers & they love good principles & philosophy. They are healthy & wealthy and love good relations. They are generally under the control of their partner. They are thrifty and enterprising. They have a natural affinity to electronics & computers.They are ruled by the intellectual planet, Mercury who is the representer of Maths, computing, music, art & sculpture.They will shine as lecturers / teachers as the planet of Academic Education rules them. They will be humourous & witty. They will shine as writers & publishers.

Ascendant - Libra ( Thula )

Libra rising creates an all rounder, a person who is a generalist and well accepted in society. They have domineering personalities & they are forceful and given to their ways. They are likely to be vindictive & revengeful. They are well informed and interested in logical & legal aspects. They are likely to be of a wavering mind They believe that God is love and their love will embrace all creatures. Their eyes have a peculiarity of their own. They are lovers of Poetry & the fine arts as they are ruled by the poet Venus. They are likely to be disappointed in love as their love may not be reciprocated. They have a special talent in business dealings. They may have very few sons. They always have an underlying fear in the bottom of their minds. They are keen observers of human nature and psychologists. They will be generally known by more than one name. They are interested in entertainments which involve the opposite sex.

Ascendant - Vrischika ( Scorpio )

Scorpio rising gives them the qualities of perseverance and fortitude. They appear sarcastic & impulsive. They do not heed other's advice. Their actions and thoughts are inexplicable. They become lucky in the second half of their life. They are quick witted and humourous. They are good at correspondence. They are ruled by Mars and hence will have martian temperaments. They are shorttempered and rash at times. They are advised to incorporate patience and tolerance for the adversary. They are inconstant and fickle minded. They love luxury & excitement. They are entertaining conversationalists depending on their own intelligence. They can develop into good musicians if they take to that art. They are lovers of the fine arts. They are good at administration & administration shines only when the fire of Mars is present. The Martian quality of fortitude they have in plenty. Careers indicated - Military & Police.

Ascendant - Dhanus ( Sagittarius )

Sagittarius rising gives a warrior like approach to the problems of life. They are inclined to Philosophy and Religion. They have professional brilliance and reputation. They are wealthy and prosperous. They are quite capable of earning the good will of all. They possess good foresight & they are intuitive and religious. They have domineering personalities. They are over-anxious, brave & restless. They are orthodox and business like. They are ruled by the wisdom planet Jupiter & they are blessed by all the Jovian qualities. Wisdom, patience, knowledge of sciences & arts are represented by Jove. They are capable of influencing people as they are born with personal magnetism. Despite all their good qualities they are likely to be misunderstood by others. They are free from hypocrisy & they follow the principle " Honesty is the best Policy". Their frankness & good nature also can be a drawback in a business world.

Ascendant - Capricorn ( Makara )

Capricorn rising gives strong will power and determination. They are philosophers in their own right. They are likely to be vindictive & secretive. They have strong determination and purposiveness in life. They are very cunning & highly determined. They do not mind the general feeling of the audience when they talk about Truth & Reality. They do not mind employing means that are not above board to reach their target. "End justifies the means" seems to be their principle. They can talk softly and kindly and many a man will fall into their trap.

They are born in a Saturnine sign which gives them the qualities of temperance & fortitude. Great patience & perseverance are imparted by Saturn. Capricornians make good sculptors. They are likely to be melancholic in temparament. They make good actors.

Ascendant - Aquarius ( Kumbha )

Aquarius rising gives Saturnine qualities - philosophical outlook, patience & perseverance. They will shine as teachers, speakers & writers. They may be tall with good appearance. They are altruists by nature & they consecrate some of their energies for the service of their fellow men. They are highly sympathetic and generous. They generate more friendliness and compassion. They are dangerous when provoked but then they cool off easily. They may be tall & handsome. Their IQ level & MQ level are praiseworthy. They can shine as authors if they so desire. They are shy when it comes to exhibiting their talents before people interested in their art. They tend to believe that Astrology is a science. They are basically humanists & they are likely to be misunderstood. Their love may not be reciprocated & they are likely to be disappointed in love. They believe in the essential goodness of humanity.

Ascendant - Pisces ( Meena )

Pisces rising gives the qualities of intuition, benevolence, sympathy & fondness for the finer side of life. They have majestic personalities & impressive bearing. They are likely to be handsome & well informed. They also become a target of envy of others. Their wealth is related to water as they are born in a watery sign. They are altruists involved in noble services & the alleviation of human suffering. They are God fearing and very religious. They are generally ambitious but giving Philosophy its due place. They are just and they are always afraid to go against the Truth. Because of this moral injunction they appear to lack self confidence. They are born in a Jupiterian sign equipped with the divine qualities of patience & perseverance. Their sign dispositor, Jupiter endows them with the warmth of human affection & their personal magnetism will be well known and recognised.